Labuan Bajo (“LBJ”) is the gateway city to Komodo National Park (“KNP”), designated a UN World Heritage Site. The park contains the last global sanctuaries for the Komodo Dragon, giant carnivorous and occasional man-eating lizards, and is one of the world’s most pristine and stunning marine environments. We came to see the dragons, but were way more impressed by the park’s marine environment, namely stunning ocean vistas, gorgeous beaches, coral reefs, snorkeling, diving, and just hanging out on superb deserted islands accessible only by private boat.
LBJ is a small but bustling town of 12,000 people. Located on the extreme west end of Flores Island in the Indonesia East Islands archipelago, its the western terminus of the Trans Flores Highway, the ferry landing for boats from Sape and Sulawesi, a fishing port, and jumping off point to KNP.
Arrival in LBJ is the usual chaotic affair one expects at many Indonesian airports. Many visitors arrive in groups for sight seeing or dive expeditions. We turned up with no formal arrangements except a reservation at LBJ’s only 4 star hotel, the Bintang Flores Hotel. The hotel driver was waiting for us at the terminal. From the terminal to the car we were besieged by tour guides and drivers - we talked with one who told us the hotel would provide him a reference. We had no pre-arranged plans, so remembered the guide’s name to check with the hotel.
The Bintang Flores Hotel greatly exceeded our expectations. The hotel has been reviewed separately.
The hotel provided the promised reference for the guide and even gave us his telephone number. We promptly rang his mobile, and he met with us within the hour. The guide, Jeffry Buana, is very knowledgeable and excited about KNP and Flores, and helped us plan by showing us choices for visiting KNP and made all the arrangements.
The way to visit KNP is to charter a boat for at least 2 days with one 1 night on the boat. Longer charters are necessary for more snorkeling, diving, or long treks on any of the islands. Most of the charter boats are fairly small, with limited facilities, so any trip longer than 2 nights would require re-supply at LBJ. The large charter boats, used mostly for dive expeditions, can go for about a week without re-supply, The small boats come with a crew of 2, captain and mate. Our crew could speak good English.
The boat choice is basically with or without a cabin. Boats with a cabin are usually a little bigger and include an upper deck sitting area. The upper deck sitting area is nice to have for photo taking or just escape from the boat’s noisy engine. Cost is whatever the market is that day. We paid IDR 3 million for the boat (2 days, 1 night), driver for local sightseeing on and off for 3 days, all food and beverage on the boat, including a full load of beer, sodas, and water. Costs to enter the National Park were not included and have to be paid directly to the park’s contract operator (listed below). Some reviews have stated prices for a boat as low as A$35, but that price will not even cover the cost of fuel and is taking advantage. A fair price is about USD 100/day, plus extras and a tip for crew if they do a good job.
The boat trip around KNP is a wonderful adventure. Departure from LBJ is early morning, direct to Rinca Island. Its takes about 2 hours at the boat’s max speed of about 15 kph. The trip to Rinca is spectacular! The scenery is of sandy beaches, mangrove coasts, deserted islands and turquoise waters. That is just the beginning. There is much more to come over the 2 day journey. We were asked to ferry two park rangers to Rinca, who were on their way for a 10 day tour of duty and will happily agreed. Along the way the rangers were a great source of information and generally just fun to talk to.
Arrival at Rinca is around mid-day. Rinca has a small jetty and its about a 5 minute walk to the reception center/ranger station - really just a wooden shack and a couple of other buildings for the rangers. Cost to enter the park is as follows:
Conservation fund contribution:
1 – 3 days
Visitors - USD 15,
Indonesians and KITAS visa - IDR 75,000
4 – 8 days
Visitors - USD 25
Indonesians and KITAS visa - IDR 125,000
9 – 15 days
Visitors - USD 35
Indonesians and KITAS visa IDR - 175,000
16 days or more
Visitors - USD 45
Indonesians and KITAS visa - IDR 225,000
Komodo National Park entrance fee
Visitors - IDR 20,000
Locals - IDR 2,000
West Manggarai retribution fee
Visitors - IDR 20,000
Locals - IDR 10,000
Be sure to keep receipts, as they are necessary to enter other park islands without paying any additional fees. You will be asked to show the receipts upon arrival at other islands, including Komodo, or for a return trip to Rinca.
Komodo dragons are present on three islands - Komodo, Rinca and Gili Montang, which is just outside the park. Both Komodo and Rinca have about 1,300 dragons, Gili Montang has about 60.
Rinca is the place to go to see dragons in their natural habitat. The trekking course is a bit challenging in the high humidity and heat of Rinca, so be prepared. People who are out of shape, infirm, sensitive to humidity and heat, and don’t like bugs should take a short and less challenging walk around the reception center.
Rinca is less well known than Komodo Island, for which the park and dragons get their name. However, anyone looking for dragons should visit Rinca - because the geography of Rinca is slightly different than Komodo, its much easier to find and view dragons. Rinca has much more savannah type topography, which the dragons like better than jungle and forrest. In fact, A visit to Rinca over Komodo is recommended if time is an issue.
Most visitors to Rinca take the extended trek, for which the visitors center will ask an additional IDR 50,000. Pay the 50,000 and take the extended tour - its worth it. Also get a receipt for the additional fee, which is slightly doubtful, as there is no price list posted regarding this additional fee.
The park rangers are really guides. They don’t wear uniforms, but are extremely knowledgeable of the island and the animals on it. They sometimes do 3 treks a day, so know exactly where the dragons are resting on that day and are great at taking visitors to the dragon’s natural habitat without disturbing the dragons in anyway. The rangers really make the park come alive with their detailed knowledge.
The trek at Rinca starts at the Ranger station/visitor center, where there are about 10 dragons, big and small, around the ranger station - they are attracted by the smell of the kitchen, and incidentally make a great opportunity for photo taking. The dragons seem to be doing ok, although we wondered about the wisdom of having dragons that could become dependent upon humans for food. The rangers seem to like to have some dragons around the visitor center, because it provides a guaranteed photo opportunity. The rangers can’t always promise to find dragons in nature, so the presence of a few animals at the visitor center ensures nobody leaves disappointed.
The trek itself can be a bit grueling in the heat and humidity. Starting off in a jungle, we walked through a thick forest, alternatively dry and muddy. Our visit was in late March, the end of the annual rainy season, so the island was green and a little wet in places. Walking through a jungle valley, we saw some of the island’s wild water buffalo, which were introduced to the island by man, but roam free. The beasts provide an excellent source of food for the dragons and sustain the population. The dragons basically relax on a stone under a tree in the shade. When hungary, they find a buffalo, take a bite, then wait for the buffalo to die from blood poisoning. Once the buffalo is dead, the dragon feasts and the smell of blood attracts other dragons as well. Dragons also eat deer, which are plentiful in the park, wild pigs, monkeys, fish, and the occasional human. The rangers like to tell lurid tales of dragon attacks, but the reality is that dragons don’t like to bother humans unless they are attracted by some food smell or bothered. We were told there have been about 10 recorded incidents of dragon attacks on humans - one in the mid 1970’s when a Swiss tourist went on an independent photo safari and never came back, one about 2 years ago when a boy in Komodo village was tragically attacked in a forest and killed, and a ranger was attacked in the visitor center at Rinca while sleeping, but lived to forever tell the tale. The ranger’s blood stains can still be seen in the reception center window frame, which the rangers enthusiastically show visitors at the end of the trek. Just a couple of days after our visit we read that a fisherman who ventured into the jungle looking for fruit was attacked by a dragon and tragically died from blood loss.
After the hot and sweaty trek around Rinca, the boat departs for Komodo Island, about 2 hours on the put-put boat. The crew prepares lunch, Indonesian style - pan fried fish with sambal, spicy vegetables and rice followed by fresh fruit. The scenery along the way is spectacular, although we used the opportunity to take short naps, lulled to sleep by the drum of the engine and full stomachs.
We woke up at the “Three Rocks” formation in the straits between Rinca and Komodo islands. We headed to Pink Beach, known locally as Pantai Merah (red) on Komodo Island. The boat was tied to a mooring buoy (to protect coral) and we jumped off with our snorkel gear. We found an incredible living coral reef, with uncountable types of tropical fish and coral formations just off the boat and a few meters from the beach. This was possibly the best snorkeling we have ever done! Visibility was very slightly cloudy, about 20 meters. The beach is well known in the park as one of the finest beaches, and gets its name from the pink color of the sand. We were alone on the beach, no other people, boats or dragons in sight. The combination of coral reef, pink sand, and pristine natural environment makes Pantai Merah one of Indonesia’s and the world’s finest natural beaches. After snorkeling, the crew prepared two hot mugs of Flores coffee for us, a nice touch.
As our boat approached Pantai Merah we were joined by a few outrigger canoes that were waiting for tour boats to arrive. Almost like pirates, the boats came alongside and some of the boys jumped onto our railings to offer us wooden dragon carvings and pearl necklaces. Our crew had warned us not to purchase anything, but that the canoes had to be tolerated in respect to the local village. We thought the villagers could make a better living selling ice and other consumables, rather than shelf worn wooden carvings.
After a couple of hours at Pink Beach, the boat moved on to Komodo Bay and anchored off a mangrove island known as “Bat Island.” As the name implies, the island is the home of thousands of bats (the big ones) that fly off in the evening in search of food. From the boat we could hear the chaotic sounds of the bats and well as get a close view of the bats in the trees.
Komodo Bay was our home for the night. The crew turned off the engines and used a small generator to power lights and an electrical outlet, thoughtfully prepared so we could recharge our camera batteries. The crew prepared dinner, Chicken curry, fried zucchini and tofu, noodles with vegetables, rice, followed by fresh fruit. Aside from being safe operators of the boat, the crew were also excellent short order cooks. Jeffrey, the guide at LBJ, had, at our request, prepared a ice cooler full of drinks and Bintang Beer, so we enjoyed the remainder of the evening drinking beer, talking with the crew and watching the myriad of sea creatures swim in the dark sea by our boat - crabs, octopus, a small shark, squids, and sea snakes. Tired from an active day, we retired at 10 pm to a small bunk cabin while the crew slept on the deck and in the wheelhouse. Our captain distinguished himself by his loud and continuous snoring.
Next morning it was up at 0600 and off to Komodo Island for more dragon trekking. The crew prepared a excellent breakfast of Flores coffee (delicious and better than Bali coffee), and lightly fried egg sandwiches with a fresh papaya. Perfect. Don’t expect bacon, as many of the boat crews are muslims.
Our boat was the first arrival of the day at the Komodo park entrance. The jetty is under construction, so the boat moored to a buoy and a speedboat shuttled us to the beach. The reception center is a bit fancier than Rinca. We were introduced to a ranger guide and asked to select a trekking course. The choices are short, medium, long, and adventure. After having walked over 6 km the previous day in hot and humid conditions, we elected an easier option of the “medium” course. Our guide, Guzman, escorted us for 2 hours through the forest of Komodo, pointing out the sights and up a hill that was nice to take photos from. Unlike Rinca, we were not able to find any dragons in natural habitats. However, as the end of the tour, similar to Rinca, there are a small number of dragons sunning themselves near the visitor center cafe. Once again, a guaranteed photo opportunity. The Komodo visitor center includes the cafe, a souvenir shop, a crafts market for Komodo villagers to sell goods, a guest house, toilets, and information booths on the park. A couple of villagers run simple scams on tourists - for example, exchange of 2 or 3 U.S. dollars for 50,000 rupiah, etc. Best just to ignore.
Speedboat back to our boat, and off to the next event - manta ray viewing. Two hours back to “3 Rocks” and turned left to the north instead of south back to Rinca. There, between Komodo and a number of deserted islands are shallows, colored a beautiful hue of turquoise, that are famous as a habitat for manta rays. This should not be confused with “Manta Alley,” on the southwest side of Komodo, which is a diving site. We enjoyed the ocean scenery while the crew looked for mantas. Eventually we jumped off the boat with our snorkel gear on in 30 m water to search for the elusive mantas. The water was deep and the boat crew wanted to separate to avoid disturbing mantas. This was the first time we snorkeled in open ocean, so it was a new, if slightly scary experience. Despite our best efforts we could not find a manta, so we departed through a narrow strait between two deserted islands to our next destination: Kanawa Island.
Kanawa is owned by a local fishing cooperative, which runs some simple bungalow accommodations and a very simple cafe. The boat ties up a the end of a long and rickety jetty that must be crossed to get to the island. Careful footing is necessary! The island is picture perfect - a small atoll surrounded by turquoise and emerald green waters. The bungalows can be rented from about 150,000 rp/night and the village runs a shuttle boat to and from LBJ. The snorkeling was interesting for the variety of shellfish, starfish, and sea urchins. After a couple of hours swimming, snorkeling, and laying on the beach, we made our way back across the flimsy jetty and onto the boat for our last and final destination.
Located fairly close to LBJ and easily accessible by boat, Bidadari Island has a small beach, but a thriving live coral reef. Once again, an incredible number of fish and creatures inhabit this reef, which drops off sharply just a few meters from the beach. For the first time we viewed a rock fish and finally a manta ray. Our crew was so relieved we found a manta - this is considered a must-see on any boat trip. I can say that KNP has the best snorkeling we have ever enjoyed, better than most anywhere we have experienced, including Hawaii.
Back on the boat, the captain prepared some Flores coffee and we transited 45 minutes to the port at LBJ where Jeffrey, our guide was waiting with the driver to escort us to our hotel. We decided to try the Bayview Gardens Hotel and Viewpoint. This hotel is reviewed separately. We enjoyed the personal and kind service of Adrian, the Dutch owner and his Indonesian wife.
After showers and freshening up we sat in the open air veranda of our room and watched the sun set gloriously over the idyllic islands we had just departed. After a simple Indonesian dinner of chicken goreng, noodles and gado-gado, and a couple of large bottles of Bintang, delivered personally by Adrian, we fell asleep in our wonderfully air conditioned room to the exotic sounds of a nearby mosque calling its faithful to prayer.
The following day, we walked from the hotel on a round trip through the heart of LBJ. As a fishing port, its market is at the busiest in the early morning and we enjoyed watching piles of sardines being weighed on the shoulders of the fisherman and the general frantic activities of the market. We stopped to chat with soldiers and drivers waiting for the ferry to Sape, then hopped a bemo back to the hotel. Even early in morning, the temperature and humidity were very strong.
About Labuan Bajo
A small seaside village of 12,000, facing west towards the Flores Sea. A fishing port and transportation center for ferries and cargo from other islands, the Trans Flores highway starts from LBJ connecting to Ruteng and Maumere in the center and East of Flores, respectively. LBJ is the gateway to the Komodo National Park, with a variety of hotels, hostels, and guest houses to fit any budget. Boat transportation to KNP is available at LBJ and a variety of guides and agents are readily available to help visitors with arrangements.
The visitor axis of LBJ is the Gardena Hotel, around which a number of dive shops, agents, and restaurants are clustered.
The port is divided into three jetties: the commercial jetty is used by cargo vessels and tour boats alike. It is a large U shaped reinforced concrete structure. The ferry jetty is for the exclusive use of PT Indonesia Ferry for loading and unloading of ocean going ferry ships. It has a steel ramp for roll on and roll off loading. The tourist jetty, located on the far side of the open air fish market, is for use by boat charters. Visitors will likely board boats to KNP on the commercial jetty or the tour jetty.
Transportation to and from Labuan Bajo
LBJ is served by three airlines, Indonesia Air Transport (“IAT”), TransNusa, and Merpati. Both IAT and TransNusa specialize in serving the East archipelago of Indonesia. Service can be cancelled or delayed at short notice, so its best to check on the status of flights into and out of LBJ before going to the airport. Merpati is particularly known to cancel flights and has a poor reputation amongst agents for punctuality on the LBJ route. Airlines fly 45 pax Fokker 50 turbo prop aircraft (or similar aircraft), both depart at 1000 from DPS and both arrive at 1.5 hours later at LBJ airport. The return flight to Bali departs at 1145. LBJ airport is a simple airstrip and terminal building - there are no facilities or fuel servicing, baggage carts are dragged by hand from the aircraft on the tarmac to the terminal. The flight from Bali flies over Lombok, Sumbawa, and many small tropical islands, before dropping into LBJ. We took TransNusa, which served a small lunch box consisting of roll, sweet muffin, and mineral water. Air travel is the only real choice for travel to LBJ.
LBJ can be reached by road from Ruteng on the Trans Flores Highway. A highway in name only, the road is two lanes with frequent pot holes and rough spots. The highway is the main commercial artery to the port at LBJ, so has a large amount of truck traffic. The road can be occasionally be closed due to stalled vehicles on the mountain passages. This is not the recommended method unless coming from Ruteng.
PT Indonesia Ferry runs ferry service to and from LBJ to Sape on Sumbawa and Seleyar on Sulawesi . Although very inexpensive (IDR 40,000 to Sape), the time required is quite long and departure times undependable.
Private boat charter can be arranged from other islands to KNP.
Telecommunications and Electricity
Electricity is standard Indonesia 220 V. Blackouts are common, so some tourist hotels have back up generator sets. During blackouts gensets may not be able to carry the load from air conditioners, so no A/C. The genset at the Bintang Flores Hotel can supposedly power the entire hotel, including A/C.
During our visit fixed line telecommunications was completely out for the entire visit. This meant no internet or fixed line telephone. LBJ has Telkom ADSL service, so decent internet is available when the net is up. The Bintang Flores Hotel has an internet room with PCs for a fee.
LBJ has one mobile phone tower, which supports both Telkomsel and Indosat. This tower supports all of LBJ and KNP. When out of range of this tower mobile phones do not work. Don’t visit LBJ if important conference calls or other urgent communications are necessary. The tower is on a tall hilltop, so range is pretty good. Coverage does not reliably reach Komodo or Rinca Islands.
Health Concerns
Flores Island, including Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park are not malaria free. Visitors are advised to adhere to malaria prevention measures, including the use of malaria prevention drugs and the liberal use of insect repellent with 25% DEET.
We obtained preventative medicine from a travel clinic before traveling to Flores. Mefloquine (Lariam) requires one pill for two weeks before travel and one pill for the next four weeks. We had no side effects. Apparently, doxycycline is now preferred to melfloquine, so it is advisable to consult a physician well in advance of departure for Flores.
After liberal use of insect repellent, we experienced no mosquito bites.
These are the contact details of hotels and the guide we used at LBJ
Guide:
Mr. Jeffry Buana
+6281 2388 7732,
jetour@putrikomodo.com
http://www.putrikomodo.com/
Jeffry promptly responds to SMS
Bintang Flores Hotel:
http://bintangfloreshotel.com/
Bayview Gardens Hotel and Viewpoint
+62 385 41549
http://bayview-gardens.com/
bayviewgardens@gmail.com
Websites:
http://www.floreskomodo.com/
http://www.gokomodo.org/home.html
JBR (long) - Komodo National Park/Labuan Bajo
Many thanks for your really informative JBR . We have been meaning to do this trip for ages and now that you have given such detailed advice we feel much happier about planning it. It sounds spectacular and well worth doing.
Thanks once again for all the information.
JBR (long) - Komodo National Park/Labuan Bajo
CONGRATULATIONS on such a comprehensive report.
Juts the kind of report I need to pass onto some travellers I am helping privately.
You are absolutely wonderful for taking the time to do this.
I wish so many more travellers would follow your lead.
If you do not mind I will be posting this link onto many of the different forums on Indonesia I belong to.
Well Done.
Pamela.
Thanks for the nice complement. I will cross post as a review with pics in the next couple of days. Hotels too.
It%26#39;s one of those change-your-life type of journeys. My words can%26#39;t possibly do justice to the beauty of Komodo National Park.
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